What age is Ocean Youth Aotearoa aimed at?

Young people aged 13-17 years For young people aged 8-12 years old we recommend the Explorers Programme delivered by our friends Young Ocean Explorers <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youngoceanexplorers.com%2Fexplorers%2F&data=05%7C02%7CNicole.Dippenaar%40merlinentertainments.biz%7C10cf689568374d376ad308dd144a9434%7Ceff87342bf9949a9bfb2655c113e30a4%7C0%7C0%7C638689032735641846%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=4O8mR%2BiM6cHLJLE6u7lMNbjtk4hKK5gwwO9mYvxgl44%3D&reserved=0">https://www.youngoceanexplorers.com/explorers/

Ocean Youth - SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium

What is Ocean Youth?

An 8-day programme delivered across two weeks (Mon-Thurs) for students aged 13-16 years.

Ocean Youth is supporting young people to learn how to make, and influence, positive action for our ocean.

We will unlock new and innovative thinking and collaborations, foster tomorrow’s change makers and enable empowered community led action.

Participants will establish connections with like-minded individuals, be educated on threats in their own backyard, be empowered to create and implement conservation initiatives in their own communities and be exposed to career pathways

Ocean Youth Aotearoa is made possible with support from Kelly Tarlton’s Marine Wildlife Trust and WWF-NZ.

A 8-day programme delivered Monday-Thursday across two weeks

Monday 30th June - Thursday 3rd July (no Friday session)
Monday 7th July - Thursday 10th July (no Friday session)

Price for participation: $560 for 8 days ($70 per day) + Humanitix $17.10 booking fee

2025 Dates	Venue	Overview
Monday 30th June Drop off 8:30-9:00 Pick up 4:00-4:30	SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s	Introductory day - whakawhānaungatanga (relationship building) including behind-the-scenes tours of SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s including fish feeding, and virtual reality experience.
Tuesday 1st July Drop off 8:30-9:00 Pick up 4:00-4:30	Auckland Museum	Marine collections - Learn about the importance of museum collections in our understanding of marine ecology and conservation, including talks and Q&A sessions with shark and fish scientists.
Wednesday 2nd July Drop off 8:30-9:00 Pick up 4:00-4:30	Goat Island Marine Discovery Centre	Marine Reserves & The University of Auckland- Visit the world's first fully protected marine reserve on its 50th anniversary! Learn how marine reserves can contribute to our understanding of the environment and have a Q&A session with postgraduate students and professionals in the marine space.
Thursday 3rd July Drop off 8:30-9:00 Pick up 4:00-4:30	Revive Our Gulf	Take a boat trip into Ōkahu Bay and explore how Revive Our Gulf are using remotely operated under watercraft to support mussel restoration.
Friday 4th July	No programme
Monday 7th July Drop off 8:30-9:00 Pick up 4:00-4:30	Sustainable Fisheries	Explore what a sustainable fishery looks like and how you can make better choices for kaimoana, including a workshop and practical activities.
Tuesday 8th July Drop off 8:30-9:00 Pick up 4:00-4:30	Auckland Zoo	Learn about wildlife medicine and how zoos and aquaria can contribute to marine animal rehabilitation and conservation.
Wednesday 9th July Drop off 8:30-9:00 Pick up 4:00-4:30	SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium	Project Workshop Day: plan a project that may be implemented in student’s communities or schools to promote conservation in the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana.
Thursday 10th July Drop off 8:30-9:00 Pick up 4:00-4:30	SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium	Project presentations and awards
Friday 11th July	No programme

https://events.humanitix.com/ocean-youth-aotearoa

Young people aged 13-17 years

For young people aged 8-12 years old we recommend the Explorers Programme delivered by our friends Young Ocean Explorers

https://www.youngoceanexplorers.com/explorers/

Ocean Youth Aotearoa is an 8 day programme across 2 weeks where young people will forge relationships and work on a project idea to take back to their community. Unfortunately there is no single-day option.

The programme has been designed to start and finish at SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s each day to provide a consistent location for drop off and pick up.

A 1:6 ratio with 3 facilitators and 18 participants.

We use the NZ Police Vetting service. Our team of facilitators are trained first-aiders, and where driving occurs this will be under a full driver’s license. The programme leaders are guided by a qualified education expert with knowledge of the NCEA curriculum and latest teaching methods.

Absolutely not. We recognise participants will come from different learning levels and our team will create an environment to make all learners comfortable and engaged.

There is no swimming in the winter programme, so this not required.

No, there is no swimming in the winter programme.

Sea temperatures in January range from 17 to 22 degrees celsius and wetsuits will be provided. You will need to bring your swimwear, a towel and something warm for afterwards.

Auckland weather is unpredictable, so bring an outer layer that can deal with rain and a bit of cold weather. A hat is also recommended.

Definitely. We have a variety of partners with different careers and skills who will be leading different days on the programme. We will have Q&A sessions with these partners at the end of each day, so you can learn how they got into their job, and what you can do to achieve the same goal.

A backpack with your food and drink bottle along with suitable footwear and clothing. We suggest dressing warm and bringing a raincoat.